Familiar Faces: Millwall

A promotion winning captain with both clubs and The Lions’ current top scorer, there's plenty that links Millwall and Brentford ahead of tomorrow's game.

Although now at Bristol Rovers, Tony Craig is a well-known, and respected, figure with both clubs, having spent the majority of his 15 season EFL career with either The Lions or The Bees. Twice a promotion-winner in the 2000s with Millwall, Tony joined Brentford in 2012 and played 55 games as we reached the League One Play-Off final at Wembley only to lose to Yeovil Town. Less than a year later and Tony was lifting silverware as captain on the Griffin Park pitch with promotion to the second tier achieved: his performances that campaign earning him the Supporters’ Player of the Year award.

The central defender returned to The Den in 2015, having made 129 appearances for Brentford, for a third spell in South London. Injury kept him out for most of the season as Neil Harris’ side were beaten in the Play-Off final at Wembley but he returned to play 57 games last season as promotion was achieved. To mark a decade with Millwall, The Bees visited The Den in July 2015 for Tony’s testimonial.

Another member of that 2013/14 promotion winning Bees side will also likely feature against us tomorrow as George Saville continues to impress at the heart of The Lions midfield. The young midfielder played 40 games, scoring four goals, on loan from Chelsea as Mark Warburton’s side went up with Wolverhampton Wanderers that campaign. And it was to Molineux where George went next, spending three years in the West Midlands before his move to Millwall this summer. Despite struggling to hold down a Championship spot with Wolves, George has started well under Neil Harris, leading The Lions scoring charts with eight goals so far this term.

The Lions backroom staff also has links from South to West London with former Brentford defender and manager Scott Fitzgerald the current Academy Director at The Den while former Bees player and promotion winning Assistant Manager Terry Bullivant is Millwall’s Chief Scout.

Those four join a long list of players and managers who have represented both clubs going back in time. Hard-man midfielder Terry Hurlock spent the 1980s dominating the midfield for both clubs with Andy Frampton, Gary Alexander, Scott Barron, Karleigh Osborne crossing the divide more recently. Our record-ever goal scorer Jim Towers had a brief stint with Millwall late on in his career while John Docherty, who both played for and manager Brentford, was the first man to lead The Lions to the top tier when he steered Millwall to the Division Two title in 1988.